Historic Lancaster Commission approves six downtown wayfinding towers

The Historic Lancaster Commission approved an application on Nov. 19 to allow six powder-coated wayfinding sign towers in downtown Lancaster.

Applicant Amanda Everitt presented CA-00561 and said Destination Downtown secured grant funds from the Fairfield County Land Bank and the Fairfield County Foundation to purchase the six towers. Each tower will have 20 double-sided sign slots, Everitt said, and proposed locations include Fountain Square; the area around the County Courthouse; Bandstand Park; Main and Columbus streets; Chestnut Street near the Farmer’s Market; and Columbus and Wheeling streets. She described the application as approval of the six tower units only, with the specific sign content to be finalized later and placed in coordination with city departments.

The project matters to downtown businesses and visitors because the towers are intended to direct people to civic buildings and local businesses, the applicant said. Commissioner Joyce Harvey asked whether the signage would include directions to the library; Everitt confirmed civic buildings are intended to be included. The commission’s motion to approve the application was made by Commissioner Matt Brady and seconded by Commissioner Joyce Harvey. The minutes record that the motion was "granted unanimously," and also state that Chair Bryan Everitt abstained; the minutes do not provide a numeric vote tally and contain this internal inconsistency.

Next steps include finalizing sign faces and exact placement through coordination with city departments because the towers will be located in the city right-of-way. The minutes indicate signage details will be completed in the future; the commission did not record specific dates for installation or a funding contract in this meeting.

The commission set its next regular meeting for Dec. 17, 2025. The meeting adjourned at 2:13 PM.